So here is where things stand: First, as of now, we know this attack was carried out by gigantic fucking assholes—unconscionable flaming assholes—possibly working with other fucking assholes, definitely working in service of an ideology of pure assholery. Second, and this goes almost without saying, FUCK THESE ASSHOLES! Fuck ’em, if I may say, sideways.

Almost immediately after the attacks, social media was set ablaze with messages of support for France -- small acts of kindness that don't affect much but are not doubt welcome in the wake of such appalling violence. But of course, merely minutes after the facts emerged about the attacks, activists with pet agendas began to emerge and began spreading their own politicized message through social media.

The attacks in Paris have initially accomplished what they set out to, which is scare us to death and place us, as an entire culture, on a precipice. The Daesh terrorists in their canny evil could only lead us to the point where we could choose to become the very thing we hated most, but they couldn't push us over it. That's something we have to do for ourselves.